Silence in Solitude
by WhiteOranges
Summary: It has been three years since the Shinobi War, everyone's home and it's time for Sasuke's healing take its biggest step. But there is danger on the horizon that threatens everyone's new peace. Sasuke x OC, mention of NaruHina.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"_The Song of Midnight Cried Out"_

It was about three years since the events of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, three years since Uchiha Sasuke had returned to the village and everything had seemed to return to a certain normalcy. The village had been redone from the ground up and the people had gone back to the same old routine. Even the old Team 7 had fallen back into the same old routine, the routine that had been destroyed six years ago had been returned to normalcy. However not everything was the same.

No longer was there that solid foundation that was Neji amongst the former teammates. His wisdom, hopes and dreams had passed down to Hinata and Naruto during his passing in the war. The new member that had joined their ranks three years ago, Sai, was still amongst them, and had never been so alive before. With great loss yet great gain, the shinobi world went on, recovered from the war and went on towards full recovery. The village leaders began discussing peace instead of war and the shinobi of the world became cleaning up the last remnants of whatever was left of the great catastrophe of the war.

One of those missions was given to the team, minus one. Sai was assigned to a different task while Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke went out to clean up some messes that were left behind. Enemy ninja that sought to bring back the anarchy caused by Obito, Madara and Pain. Of course, this mission would not have been a proper mission if the two boys didn't start a fight.

The walk home, back to the Leaf, consisted of yelling between the blonde jinchuuriki and the raven haired Uchiha. "Are you kidding me, you are an idiot!" Naruto yelled.

"What are you talking about, moron! It was clearly your fault." Sasuke snapped back. The nineteen years old now act worse than they did at the age of twelve. The sight made Sakura sigh, however the audible sound from the pink haired kunoichi did not stop them from going on into a complete rage between one another.

They entered the gates and the fight whether Naruto or Sasuke where the ones to defeat the most enemy ninja raged on Naruto who swore he took down ten when Sasuke insisted that it was only nine, the same number as himself. After a few steps into the village, Sakura grasped their shoulders and shoved them apart. "Why don't we put this matter aside and go to our usual spot?" She questioned removing her hands from the shoulders of the boys and removing her gloves. Naruto just from her touch was sweating bullets of fear; it hadn't been long since Sakura's last abuse that had not ceased even with Sasuke's return. Sasuke however, lightly snickered at her authoritarian domineer, amused that the girl who was once so weak had grown to be so fearless. For him, it was truly a sight to see.

The three made their way there and found their way to a small quant tea house that they made into a hangout along with Sai. They took their usual seat. Sasuke sat at the booth against the wall, so he could lean his head back. Sakura sat beside him on the book and left Naruto in the seat across from them. They were all dressed similarly considering they had all made it to jounin level, blue turtleneck, green vest, blue pants and blue shinobi sandals. Sasuke, however, began to undo the green vest, exhausted and feeling slightly like he was suffocating. Once his hand was free Sakura took the opportunity and laid her hand on top of his.

"How's Hinata?" Sasuke asked. Naruto and Hinata had been together since the war ended and just the mention of her name caused Naruto to smile like an idiot or, as Sasuke said, more of an idiot than usual.

"She's amazing and fantastic." He said as he envisioned her in his mind and nearly melted, just with that simple image. How he had come to love her and adore her. The perfect girl for him was right before his face and never even realized it. The three years that had bloomed between them where always filled with something new and exciting as the two found equilibrium and happiness in each other. "How about you two? How is living together?"

"Well you live with Hinata so I assume you can guess, Naruto." Sakura nearly snapped with the same fire that always pumped in her veins.

"Geez, Sakura, you are too harsh." Naruto replied. She had always been uptight and defensive around him and when Sasuke came back it became twice as worse, but Naruto saw this coming. She trying to keep an impression on him and by her own right. Ever since Sasuke had come back, grown and matured from his prepubescent, angst years he had become the man all women wanted. Not only was Sasuke the last Uchiha but he was also a hero of the war and the best friend of the victor of the war. All this came with an extreme outcome of women who wanted this young Uchiha, tenfold what he went through as a child. _The silent types_, the words of Shikamaru echoed in Naruto's head as he watched women through themselves at the Uchiha. Women were still one of the areas that Naruto failed in comparison to Sasuke. Whereas, Naruto took this as the rekindling of their old rivalry, Sakura took this as a step onto her territory as a woman. She was nearly appalled by these women and was so glad that Sasuke was gentleman enough to keep his honor to her, even when they were sixteen and the hormones raged wilder than the greatest animal stampede.

As Naruto shrunk underneath Sakura's intense gaze, the waitress came by and they all noticed that she was new. She was not the usual staff but still wearing the blue skirt and white top that all waitresses had, her curly black hair was tied back in a pony tail. She held a tray with a note pad on it. "Good afternoon, may I take your order?" She asked.

"Eh, two cups of Gyokuro, one mild, and one cup of Kukicha, make that one strong." The waitress jotted down as Naruto spoke since he had the orders memorized after ordering them so many times. If it had been another waiter or waitress the question would have been different. 'The usual?' was typically the question they were asked in this small tea house that they visited so frequently.

The waitress looked up from the pad and smiled. "They'll be right out, is there anything else?" She asked.

Sasuke slumped down uninterested and Sakura looked over at him. "No, thanks!" Naruto said.

"Be back in a few minutes." With that the waitress went off.

"New girl." Naruto said.

"Yeah," Sakura said looking back at Naruto. "Do you think Sai will be here?" She asked.

"Of course!" Naruto replied with a smile.

This was the place where they had spent their time after the war, getting reacquainted with each other. They learned again of each other's likes, dislikes and dreams. And yes, this time for Sasuke it was a dream, it was not the same response he had given six years ago. The dream wasn't the same for Naruto either. They both had actual likes and dislikes, for an example, Sasuke had learned to state that he didn't like sweets and that he loved a good sword fight, and the best one he had had was with Killer Bee, the Gyuki jinchuuriki. Naruto was able to say that he liked ice cream more than any other dessert and disliked doing the laundry more than anything, he always ruins clothing. The boys had changed and grew beyond comparison. They were no longer boys but men, men who had learned of the world and its pains and aches yet also learned of its joys and virtues. All this progress was due to the power of speech, none had known of its healing capabilities like the Konaha 11 and Team Guy as they grew closer together after the war.

A moment of slight chatter and the waitress came back with their drinks. "The mild Gyokuro? " She asked and Sakura lifted her hand slightly and the waitress set the cup down in front of her. "The regular Gyokuro?" Naruto made the same gesture and the cup was placed in front of him. "So, this must be yours." The waitress picked up the Kukicha and placed it in front of Sasuke. "Enjoy." She said and went off.

Naruto raised his cup and they toasted to a mission well done. After a long time, the conversation ended up to the future, mostly the restoration of the clan. If Sasuke hadn't mastered that impermeable poker face, he would have cringed. He hadn't thought about the topic since he decided to massacre the elders of Konaha. "I'll think about it when the time comes." He simply said. Sakura squeezed his hand slightly and Sasuke smirked, "Don't worry." He told her, and as if on cue, Sai entered the tea house.

"Sai!" Sakura said. Naruto turned and smiled at him.

"I assume the mission was a success?" He asked.

"What did you expect?" Naruto beamed.

The hours passed without their knowledge. Lost in bliss, their laughter filled the tea house and even when the three rounds of tea and a good afternoon snack had ended it still felt like it wasn't enough, like there should have been more to say or do. However, it was nearly nine in the evening and Naruto knew he had to return to his apartment.

Sasuke sighed at that. "He's right; we should call it a night." He said and stood, zipping up his vest.

Naruto stood next and stretched his arms out into the air. Sakura and Sai stood next and Sakura called for the waitress. "The bill?" Sakura asked. The girl nodded and pulled a receipt from her pocket in the skirt and handed it to Sakura. They paid, leaving the money on the table along with a tip and left the tea house and said their good-byes.

Sakura and Sasuke had a silent journey back to their shared apartment. They got in and Sasuke immediately dropped into bed. "Are you going to go to sleep already?" Sakura asked.

"Why?" He replied, his tone very flat.

"Well, it's only nine."

"Is there anything to do?"

"No, but-"

"Then yes, I'm sleeping." Sakura was shocked by that response.

While Sasuke quickly allowed himself to drift to sleep she thought as to why he had maintained a certain level of detachment from her. Even though all the wrongs in his life had been righted his attitude had not changed much, only his outlook on life. The only person that he had truly opened too was Naruto and their relationship had blossomed more than ever before. The two men where nearly inseparable since the war, back to brothers in arms with a greater bond than a blood bond. It upset her that she could not outdo that relationship as his significant other.

Perhaps, she thought, it was his need for silence that had keep their distance. Where Sakura doesn't mind noise and liveliness in the house, he did. He hated the neighbors whenever they were noisy and said that it was indecent. He would come home, not talk and sit down and read or leave to train on his own. Solitude, this endless solitude that she, as his partner, could not make him release. It was this need for solitude that kept them so distant.

Sakura didn't know what to do anymore, in the house now filled with silence the only thing left to do was sit and watch the Uchiha sleep, wondering when their silence would end.

* * *

"_And from that day on, I've truly…"_

"Yes, of course, coming right up." The new, young waitress said and left the men to themselves. It was the middle of the week, but regardless of that it was the boys day out. Why? Because it was the day the girls went out and because the girls did not claim the café that week, the men came up and snatched it for their own. Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Shino, Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji and Lee were all at a table at the tea house. "So where did the girls go tonight?" Kiba asked.

"Something about the new grill…" Sasuke replied.

This grabbed the attention of one man eating a snack amongst the group, "The new grill?! There is a new grill?" Choji asked.

Naruto smirked. "Hey! We could always call it for next week!" He piped.

The boys chuckled at that. "How are you all contending with your lives?" Sai asked.

The same generic answer of 'great!' or 'amazing!' was heard throughout the circle until they reached Sasuke. "Boring." He had started. "Whenever I am out, for an example in this place with you seven or when I am just with Naruto, I am fine. When I get home, I find myself with no desire to do anything. I go home and sleep."

"Is it Sakura?" Naruto asked.

"I suppose. Her and I want two different things. She's more lively than I am." He shrugged.

"You can't keep up with her?" Kiba asked.

"I don't want to." Sasuke replied.

Naruto leaned forward towards Sasuke. "Are you going to break up with her?" He asked.

There was a tense silence in the air. "I might." He said. "I just… I don't see a future with her. I don't see… my dream when I look at her… my eyes see nothingness." He said. "She is my friend, but… not my…"

"Not the one?" Sai asked.

"Not the one." Sasuke confirmed.

Naruto sighed and leaned back. "Poor Sakura." Lee said.

"None of us will say a word, Ninja's Honor." Choji said. Those last two words made Sasuke smirk a bit.

"Good luck to you, Sasuke." Shino commented and they all toasted to these new difficulties of adulthood and the changes it would from there on bring forth.

When Sasuke went home that night Sakura was already there staring out their balcony's glass doors from their bed that was right beside it. "It's late." Sasuke commented.

"I wanted to talk." Sakura said and Sasuke nearly sighed.

"I do as well. You can go ahead." Sasuke said, allowing her to speak first.

Sakura sighed, "I don't feel like how we used to when we were younger. I think that… this relationship has lost its spark."

Sasuke looked right at her. "I believe the same thing." They stared at each other for a long time, neither wanting to say the words. "We should end this…"

"And if we decide that ending it is a mistake?" She asked.

"We'll find our way back here, I suppose… and we'll take it all back." He said and Sakura chuckled and nodded. "I'll leave the apartment tomorrow, if you would permit me to stay the night?"

"Yeah! Of course, Sasuke we are still friends and teammates. Um, this shouldn't come between that first bond we had." Sakura said and smiled.

Sasuke nodded and smiled back at her. "Yeah, thank you." He said.

* * *

"_After the twilight turned a translucent red"_

"Eeeeeh!" Naruto shouted into the air. Hinata, panicked from the other room and rushed into the kitchen, where Naruto and Sasuke were talking at the table. Sasuke had his eyes closed with a solemn look on his face. "You mean to tell me it was mutual?!" Hinata sighed realizing that there was no need for alarm and stood at the doorway.

"Yes, Naruto." Sasuke replied, his eyes still closed.

Naruto leaned back in his seat. "I would have never expected that! She's been trying to get you since we were twelve and now she just lets you go." Naruto muttered. Sasuke chuckled slightly at that. Naruto's eyes widened and looked over at the raven haired man. "What's funny?"

"Nothing…" Sasuke said and looked over into Naruto's face who looked like he was ready to call bullshit. "We are growing up more."

Naruto cringed at that, "What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Well I've found an apartment, not far from here… so nothing. Life continues normally. Sakura and I are still friends and everything will continue as it was." Sasuke replied.

"Wow… man." Naruto said and ran his hand through his blonde locks.

* * *

"_The stars lay in the sky and played their twinkling sounds." _

Sasuke had left Naruto's later in the afternoon and had gone to the small café in order to fill out some paperwork for the new apartment. He was deeply buried into his work when he heard a cup being placed down in front of him. Barely lifting his head, he saw the new waitress. "Anything after eleven is on the house." She said.

He straightened his neck and back, so he was sitting up straight only then did he realize how sore he was. "What time is it?" He asked.

"Five minutes after eleven." She whispered. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Would you like to eat something? You haven't eaten in hours."

He nodded at her. "Please." When she went off Sasuke rested back and took a sip of tea. He pulled it away from his lips and noticed it was the tea he usually got. He cocked and eyebrow and figured, _a fan._ He rested back and continued to sip his tea and glancing over his papers. When the girl came back she set a plate with three rice balls in front of him.

"Thank you for the tea, it's exactly what I order." He said, being polite.

The new waitress chuckled. "The boss said that was your usual order."

"Oh?"

She looked up at him, right into his eyes with her large brown eyes confused. "Oh?"

"I thought you knew the order." He said taking another sip.

"Why would I, sir?" she asked.

Sasuke looked at her, keeping the cup at his lips. "Uchiha Sasuke." He simply said.

The waitress's loose curls seemed to tighten slightly and her brown eyes widened. One of her hands let go of the round metal tray and extended forward. "Kobayashi Akina- just Akina- I mean – it's an honor." She said, stumbling over her words. "Thank you for what you've done for the village. I had no idea." She said, managing two full sentences.

Sasuke put the cup of tea down and shook her hand. "Hello, Akina."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"_Without even being told to be more open,"_

It had been two weeks since Sasuke went to the new apartment and a week since he had last been to that little tea house. However, it was the boy's night out and he was in fact fated to go the tea house again. He was dressed in something more comfortable for him and walked out of the apartment and made his way towards the place. He hadn't seen Sakura in a few days and wondered how she was fairing since their breakup. Sasuke was certain that the boys knew more than he did in that regard.

The solitude of living alone was very comforting and rewarding due to the fact that he had more time for himself and his thoughts. Sasuke had found a new calm and he liked it and when he stepped outside the people bustling around him did not bother him as much as he thought it would. He walked through the streets in a navy blue shirt, the Uchiha insignia sewed onto the right sleeve, and black pants. Sasuke's hair allowed him to be picked out within this group of people since it was so unique.

His blonde friend did exactly that. He found Sasuke and threw himself onto him. Sasuke nearly tripped over his feet and looked back shocked at the laughing and smiling Naruto. "Hey, Sasuke."

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered but smiled regardless. The sky began to darken and the rain began to fall down onto the village. Sasuke and Naruto began to ran and made it into the tea house soaked, the rest of the guys where already sitting at their usual table. Both Naruto and Sasuke shook their heads and ruffled their hair to get a majority of the water out of it before approaching the table.

"You two are late." Kiba said.

Naruto made a face, pretending to be angry. "Sorry didn't know we were on a schedule." Naruto said sarcastically. Both Naruto and Sasuke sat in the seats against the wall. Sasuke's eyes glanced over to where the kitchen was. He saw Akina and the boss of the establishment. They both disappeared back into the kitchen and Sasuke looked back to the guys that were fighting. He sighed and fought the urge to sink into the seat.

After five minutes, Akina was over there with a tray filled with different colored cups, various shades of green, red, white and black. She expertly placed them in front of the designated drinker. She placed Naruto's and then Sasuke's, "Kukicha." She said, letting go of the cup.

A smirk touched Sasuke's lips. "Thank you, Akina." She smiled back at him and nodded. As he picked up the cup, she went off and the boys were practically on top of him. Sasuke could have spit his drink back out due to shock his eyes wide as they stared back with the same wide eyes.

"You know her… by name?" Naruto asked. "She's barely been here and you know her by name…"

Sasuke nodded and simultaneously everyone's jaw dropped except for Sai who smiled and tilted his head to the side. Sai opened his mouth and Choji and Lee who were the closest covered his mouth. Sasuke's eyes widened. Sai looked back and forth.

"Noooooooooooooo." Naruto said being dramatic and at the same time he had a serious tone.

"Is there something I don't know?" They all retreated away from Sasuke and close to Sai. Sasuke sighed and lifted his hands and cracked his knuckles. The boys shrunk slightly under the pressure. Choji and Lee released Sai.

"Sakura is thinking about talking to you about getting back together." He blurted out. Everyone grabbed Sai's neck and started shaking him as if it would take back the words he said.

"That's all?" Sasuke asked.

Shikamaru sighed and pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. "The girls asked us not to tell." He lit it and leaned back. "You know how women get with secrets and things like that." He blew some smoke into the air. "How annoying."

Sasuke sighed and put his elbow on the table in order to be kept up his head up that way. Naruto put his face very close to Sasuke's making him severly uncomfortable. "Have you moved on…?" Naruto asked with _that_ look on his face.

"Yes." Sasuke answered simply. "Not that… I don't care about Sakura, it's just… I feel much more liberated. I don't mean to cause her any pain if I am."

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded, accepting the answer. "Do you like the waitress or something?" Sai asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"No, she's just an odd ball." Sasuke replied. He smirked, "She didn't even know who I am until I told her my name."

* * *

"_Already my tears brought my feelings along,"_

Sasuke was dragged away from his comfort time. He had to get out of the white tee-shirt, casual pants, comb his hair that was already in perfect shape but worst of all he had to put down a good book. He had been called into the Hokage's office to report for a mission. So, the Uchiha heir changed into the navy pants, navy shirt and green vest that constituted the jounin attire. Once he got to the office of the missions admissions however he was thoroughly disappointed about the effort that he had put into preparation.

This was not a mission by any means; it was more of a favor. All of the other shinobi had been called in for small C and D missions and there were still more to fill. So they opted into sending jounin into C and D missions solo in order for them to complete the jobs after. So there was a favor asked of the Konaha hero, do a D ranked mission and they would give him twice the pay.

At first he wanted to decline, however when he asked if there were any missions of his caliber they replied with a negative. Not even one B, A, or E mission. This left the young man with no other choice. He nodded and decided he would take on this burden. He was to report to a little garden outside of the village, they gave them the coordinates and he was sent on his way. He rushed there; figuring the sooner it was done the sooner he could go home and train for the afternoon.

When he got there he found what looked like a field of rows of bushes. He was confused by this. He was also confused by the sole person on the field. What looked like a young girl wearing a straw hat, a white ribbon was there for some embellishment and a deep green dress with a white apron and she held a large woven basket with green leafs in it. "Excuse me." The girl turned and both parties were shocked to see who it was. "Akina?"

"Sasuke…" She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Her hair was in a low bun but her bangs where still in her face. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I have a mission to help out with gardening here…"

"Oh! The boss said that a shinobi would be coming today, I thought it was going to be a group of gennin." She said, tilting her head.

"Short staffed today. There is a large number of D and C missions, they were forced to send upper level shinobi."

"Is that how the mission ranking system works?" She asked, he chuckled at her ignorance.

"Yes." She looked enlightened by that and nodded. "So what work do you need done?" He asked.

Akina put down the basket for a moment and whipped her forehead pushing her black bangs out of the way for a moment. "Do you know anything about tea leafs?" She asked.

"No." He replied.

She sighed heavily and placed her hands on her hips as she thought. Akina looked back and pointed towards a shed, "In there we have some sheers if you could do me a favor and trim the field. We need to keep it them in good shape." Sasuke moved to do it. "N-nevermind." She said quickly. Sasuke immediately stopped and looked at her. She looked like she was struggling.

"You can give me any job, really, it's fine."

"But trimming bushes really seems unbecoming of you though."

Sasuke smirked, "I've done worse than trim bushes." He said. Akina looked at him, her express changed from sincere to questioning. An eyebrow raised and Sasuke's smirk only grew. "I used to be sent on missions to chase down run away cats. Naruto would get his face all scratched up and it was so…" He was reminiscing in front of a girl he barely even knew. He recomposed himself and looked from the ground to her. "That mission was degrading." He replied, his tone more even now.

"Alright, fine. Please trim the bushes." She said with a smile. "I would appreciate it."

"Start from which side?" He asked. Akina pointed from the area where Sasuke came from. He nodded and went off into the shed to grab the sheers.

* * *

"_And became a small sea at my feet."_

It had been about two hours under the hot sun. They were working at a diligent pace. She was picking leafs and he was trimming right behind her. An efficient system however after those two hours the girl stopped and straightened her back. "Would you like some iced water?" She asked. Sasuke stood up straight after her. "It's midday, so it gets really warm."

He nodded.

She sighed and started walking towards the shed. There were three seats outside and Akina put her basket down in one of them before going inside the shed. Sasuke took the seat and dragged it away from the other two. Within a few moments the waitress was back, using her legs to open the door, one hand holding a tray and the other holding a foldable table. Sasuke stood to help her.

"I got it." She said once she saw him stand. She stepped outside into the shade that the shed provided and shifted the foldable table so it opened up and placed the tray with a pitcher of water and two glasses onto it. "There, help yourself."

"Thanks." He said and took the pitcher pouring himself a glass and sat back down. Akina took the basket into her lap and began sifting through the leafs. He watched her and noticed the gold locket around her neck. "Boyfriend?" She lifted her head and looked at him innocently. "Your necklace, it looks special, your boyfriend?"

She chuckled slightly and leaned back into seat. "No, my parents." Sasuke froze. "My mother died during labor and my father died years later during a mission. My boyfriend died during the war." She whispered and continued to sift through the leafs.

"Sorry, I brought up a hard subject."

"No, no its fine." She said, with a slight smile. There was a moment of silence. "What about you?" She asked and Sasuke looked up at her. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

He tilted his head at that surprised that the girl did not know things about something like that. He assumed women lived off of gossip. "I thought that my break up was the latest news of the village?"

"I don't listen to idle prattle." She informed him. "And I am sorry to hear about your relationship." She whispered.

"It was bound to happen." She looked at him curiously. "She and I wanted different things from the relationship."

Akina stopped sifting through the leafs, "And your alright with that? With just ending a relationship?" Sasuke nodded. Akina tilted her head slightly confused by that. "Huh? Interesting."

"You don't?" He asked.

"No." She answered simply.

* * *

"_The sky doesn't move, it's just the sun that comes and goes"_

After another hour under the sun, they were done. "Thank you for being here, Sasuke." He nodded and approached her. "This will be the tea we use for your next cup of Kukicha." She said with a small smile.

He smirked at that. "Then this was time well spent." She nodded and smiled.

"Do you know when you and your friends will be coming for your next visit?" She asked. "The boss and a majority of the staff thoroughly enjoys your presence."

"A majority?" He asked, now he was just teasing her.

Akina fell for it too and immediately got flustered. "I mean, that there are some employs that haven't met you and… and…" Sasuke smirked. "Oh!" She said figuring it out; she grabbed her hat with both hands and covered her face with it as she blushed because of embarrassment. He chuckled at her.

"I'll see you later Akina."

"Yes, Sasuke…" She whispered but it was still audible despite the hat. He walked began to walk away from the tea bushes and saluted her. She took the hat, raised it from her head and taking her hat off to him and bowed her head slightly. From a distance she thanked him for his work. Sasuke smiled and continued his descend back to the village.

* * *

"_The ground doesn't move, it's just you who walk upon it."_

"I swear I brought it." Naruto said as he ramaged through his kunai pouch.

Sasuke sighed heavily. "You forgot it at home." Sasuke told him and it only frustrated Naruto even more.

"Naruto, you are such a pain." Shikamaru muttered. Naruto pulled a fat little frog coin purse from his kunai pouch.

Naruto held it up victoriously. "I told you I had it. I never go anywhere without this thing! Now, huh, how much was the tea?"

The waitress chuckled a little. "236 yen." She stated. Naruto opened up the little pouch and handed her the coins. "Thank you, Naruto." The boy smirked proudly. The waitress had been there long enough now to learn their names, just as many of the waiters and waitresses had as well. "Would you all like a sweet before you leave?" She asked.

"Dangos." Choji said and the waitress nodded going off to give the order. "Do you know how good the dangos are here? So tasty."

"Jeez, Choji does that black hole in your stomach ever stop, you're going to get fat-" Kiba started and got interrupted by Sai and Naruto who covered his mouth. Choji gave him the death glare and Kiba got caught in cold sweat from fear.

Lee smiled. "You know these bond strengthening visits for tea and chatting are amazing! I don't know why we didn't do them when we were younger!" He said.

"By bond strengthening do you mean talking about women?" Sai asked and Naruto laughed at the answer.

Kiba elbowed both Sai and Naruto. "No man, that's not it!" He responded.

"Isn't it the fact that we actually talk instead of harboring our feelings?" Shino asked.

Naruto shivered a bit in his seat. "Shino, you never talk in these things to begin with." He muttered under his breath.

A dark cloud came over Shino's head. "Naruto, you just don't realize it when he speaks…" Kiba whispered. Naruto chuckled nervously at that.

The waitress came back and placed the plate of dangos in front of Choji. "Thank you very much."

"No problem." She said and left. As she walked away everyone caught Sasuke glancing at her.

Naruto slammed his hands onto the table knocking the boy out of his daydream. "So you do have a thing for the waitress." He said and Sasuke's eyes widened a bit at the accusation. "Spill everything."

"I…" Sasuke began when everyone leaned into his face. He took a moment to examine everyone's eagerness. "Alright, so I was assigned a small mission and she was at the field… cultivating the tea field outside of the village. Her hands are scratched up, I was wondering if it was from the tea." Sasuke explained. "I don't have any interest in the girl. I don't even know her well." _She's just a normal girl with a normal job, nothing special._

The boys groaned and leaned back away from him. "She is pretty though." Choji commented. All the boys and even Sasuke looked at her. He felt odd just down right staring at her so he looked away his hand under his chin and his fingers covering his mouth. Naruto caught this action out of the corner of his eye and smirked a bit. He wrapped his arm around Sasuke's neck and Sasuke freaked out.

"Oi, Naruto! Get off of me." Sasuke said and pushed against Naruto.

"Oh, Sasuke-kun." Naruto said in a sultry voice and began to make kissing faces at him.

"You idiot!" Sasuke snapped and put his hand on Naruto's face to push him away. After a few more laughs and teasing each other the boys gathered their things and began to leave the place.

"Have a great evening!" The tea brewer from the back called.

"Good night old man!" Naruto called back.

As they left, Sasuke glanced back at Akina. She caught his glance and raised her tin tray to her head and lifted it as if it was her straw hat, saluting him as he departed again and Sasuke smirked at her before turning his head back around. _Absolutely nothing special at all._


End file.
